Maryland, New York announce plans to phase out HFC refrigerants

Arlington, Virginia, USA, 20 September 2018: New York and Maryland made announcements on September 11 that these states will follow in California’s footsteps, by adopting regulations aimed at phasing out hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, AHRI said in a Press communiqué. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo tasked the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) with promulgating the regulations, the communiqué said. In Maryland, the Department of the Environment will take the lead, the communiqué further said.

According to AHRI, Governor Cuomo announced that the phase out will be implemented from 2020 to 2024, with the intended goal of reducing HFC emissions by more than 20%, by 2030. The DEC has said that, as part of a pre-proposal phase, it plans to schedule an initial stakeholder webinar and would like to begin collecting comments before the end of the year, the communiqué said. Following this initial outreach, the DEC will release a first draft of the rules, kick-starting a 60-day comment period, before issuing a final rule, the communiqué further said. The DEC will likely schedule public hearings at the State Capitol in Albany to provide an opportunity for comments from interested stakeholders, the communiqué added.

Maryland has yet to share the specifics of its plan, but will likely conduct a similar public rulemaking process, the communiqué said. The Maryland Department of the Environment has indicated that it intends to adopt regulations similar to California, the communiqué further said. This effort will help Maryland achieve the goals set forth by the state’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act of 2016, the communiqué added.

According to AHRI, the governors of California, Maryland and New York all belong to the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of governors from 16 states and Puerto Rico, who have committed to undertaking various initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The communiqué said it is possible that other states involved in the Climate Alliance will announce similar plans to phase down HFCs. The communiqué added that AHRI has been actively involved in the rulemaking process in California, and will be similarly monitoring and engaging throughout the rulemaking processes in Maryland, New York, and any other states that announce similar initiatives.